The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-07-07
HONOLULU FIRE DEPARTMENT.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CHAIR
MAN OF ELECTIONS FOR sUBNus-
SION TO THE BOARD OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AT ITS
ANNUAL MEETING.

Section 1872. The Chief Engineer
and the two Assistant Engineers
shall be elected annually, on the
first Monday of June, by the certi-
6cate of members of the Fire De-
partment. - Civil Code.
Article IL, Any person becoming
member Of the Department, and
who is properly equipped, shall, on
presentation of a certificate to that
effect to the Secretary of the De-
partment, and as such entitled to all
the privileges winch the laws regu-
lating the Department grant to its
members, and the title of this shall
he Certificate of Membership. -
Department Constitution.
Previous to and until the oath of
last month | was one among those
who entertained the belief that the
elections for Engineers to the Homo
lulu Fire Department for several
years past have been legally con-
Quoted, but after consulting with
Mr.. Justice Preston of the Supreme
Court, who read copy of the De-
partment Constitution which hand
ed him, together with the statutory
provisions relating to the Depart
ment, and heard the views expressed
by His Honor, l felt obliged to
change the conclusions l had pre-
viously entertained.
According to the provisions above
set forth, which must be read to-
gether in order to be better under
stood, no person is member of the
Department who merely becomes a
member of some company until he
has received a certificate of men,
bership" from the Secretary of the
Department. Also, that certificate
members" if in good standing and
equipped are the only qualified
voters at the annual elections for
Engineers.
l am not aware that such certi-
fcates as contemplated by Article
| have ever been issued heretofore,
nor that any application for the
same was ever made. But the dl-
plomas or pictorial charts delivered
to the members signed by the Chief
Engineer and Secretary of the De-
parlment are not such as contem-
plated by law. The Secretary of the
Department alone gives the certif-
cate of membership, the form of
which must conform to said Article
IL.
/ To entitle person to receive a
certificate of membership he shall
first equip himself, and to entte
him to vote for Engineers, he must
be a certiicated member-so that
voters at the last election who were
not equipped ought never to have
voted.
Clearly there are two kinds of
membership in the Department.
First, that of becoming an admitted
member of some company, and
secondly, that of being certificated
as member of the Department.
In view, therefore, of the nom
observance of the laws now govern
ing elections, and also of the ques-
ton touching the validity of the
same, being raised for the first time
in the history of the department, l
recommend for adoption the follow
ing preamble and resolution:
WHEREAS, Section 1872 of the
Civil Code provides that the Chief
Engineer and the two Assistant En-
gineers shall b. elected annually on
the first Monday of June by the
certificate members of the Fire De-
partment; and it appearing that
Article l of the department consti-
tuition has hitherto not been adhered
to in regard to the equipment and
certiticating of the members
Resolved, That this department
declare the election for engineers
held June 9th ultlmo null and void,
and that the seats of Chief En-
gineer and First and Second Assist
ant Engineers be declared vacant.
also recommend for election of
the Board the following nominees, to
serve until their successors are
legally elected:
Mr.. Charles B. Wilson,
Acting Chief Engineer;
Mr.. Julius Asch,
Acting First Assistant Engineer
Mr.. Frank Hustace,
Acting Second Assistant En-
gineer.
l also Recommend for adoption
the following forms of certificates
CERTIFICATE OF EQUIPMENT.
Honolulu. -. .16S..
To the Secretary of the Honolulu
Fire department:
This is to certify that CA b., a
member of &C d. Company No. ;.
has properly equipped himself, and
hereby requests certificate as
member of the department.
............., Foreman.
Attest:
............, Secretary,
CERTIFICATE OF MEMBERSHIP.
Having received the assurance
that "a BY. n member of 10 DN